Table Of Contents

Sunday, May 31, 2015

With the release of Orla Kiely's latest travel collection now in stores, it looks like Target is trying to clear out inventory of last season's luggage. My stores have the Car print suitcases marked down to 50% off, but people have spotted them in other Targets for 70% off! Wow, what a deal! So definitely check out your local Target - I know their pricing and availability is pretty inconsistent from store to store, but I hope you are all able to find these pieces at 70% off :)

Saturday, May 30, 2015

My Mom got me these Orla Kiely Bobbie shoes in this beautiful Pale Blue leather as a gift recently (thanks, Mom!) and I love them so much. They are some of my favorites from this season's collection.

I know my Mom purchased these during Clarks' 20% off promotion a few weeks ago, but now they are only $99.99 (originally $220). She called customer service for a price adjustment, but was informed that their systems are not set up to do price adjustments. She was instead advised to simply repurchase the shoes and return the others ones (I haven't worn them out yet). Just wanted to share that with you in case you're in the same boat. They are still available here, but in limited sizes and colors now.

Whenever my shoes come with a dust bag, I always store them in there to keep them protected.

I read a few negative reviews about the cutouts on the front. Yes, they could have done a better job with the edging (you can see here that it bleeds a little bit onto the shoe). But I don't think it's too noticeable, and overall the rest of the shoe has wonderful quality.

There is a buckle on the side with gold accents. You do have to undo the buckle every time you want to put them on/take them off, so just note that these are not the type of shoes you can quickly slip your feet into.

A nice low heel perfect for work (I am a teacher, so I'm standing and walking around a lot throughout the day).

Oh, how I love the soles of these shoes! In my last post, I mentioned that I considered taking these to a cobbler to place a protective cover on the bottom. I am anxious to wear these out, so I don't think I'd have the patience to leave them at a shoe shop!

Now onto the bigger questions - comfort and fit! I really had a hard time deciding between a 6.5 (pictured on the right above) and a 7, which is my true size. I do vary between a 6.5 and a 7, but it depends on the shoe. The 7s fit width-wise, but I felt they were too long. I could literally pinch an inch of space in the toe portion.

What I also didn't like is how much my toes showed through the flower cutout in the size 7s, which you can see in the left picture above. In the right picture, I'm wearing the size 6.5s, which concealed my toes because they were a better length. However, they were too tight across the front. I tried wearing them with thick socks around the house for a few days to break them in like I did with my Bella loafers, but they just wouldn't give. In the end, I decided to keep the 7s because overall they fit a lot more comfortably than the 6.5s. I actually consider my feet to be relatively narrow, so I'm surprised to say that I wish these shoes were available in a wide width instead of medium. I've never had this issue with any other shoes, so I'd say this line runs pretty long and narrow. Overall, I'd say stick with your true size, BUT if you have super narrow feet, you could probably get away with going down a half size smaller so you won't have to deal with the extra length.

Friday, May 29, 2015

I purchased these Orla Bella loafers in Blue Floral during Clarks' recent 20% off promotion. I was bummed that my usual size 7 was sold out in the color I wanted, so I took a risk and order the 6.5s instead, hoping that they would fit. I went ahead and also purchased the Pink Florals as well in a size 7, just so I could compare the fit.

Here's the box they came in. It's so adorable, and usually I throw away shoe boxes, but this one I'll definitely keep.

These shoes are now only $99.99 (originally $170), along with the rest of the Orla Kiely styles on Clarks' US site.

The shoes also came with their own little dust bag.

Even the tissue paper is adorned with Orla Kiely's signature Stem print.

Here's a closeup of the pattern, which is the Big Spot Flower Shadow print. The background is an off-white cream color with navy blue flowers. They are made of patent leather, but do not appear super shiny. The navy, red, and pink accents (seen below) appear shinier than the rest of the shoe, which actually almost has a matte appearance in certain angles and lighting.

I read a few negative online reviews claiming that the pattern begins to peel off after some time. I'm going to be very conscious of this and try to make every effort I can to keep these shoes in great condition. I'll report back if I find that they peel over time. The pattern seems to be adhered to the shoes very well, but I guess only time will tell.

The shoes have a very low heel, which I love since I stand and walk around a lot at work. I love this unexpected bright red heel, along with the pink stripe accent on the side.

Ugh, these shoes are almost too gorgeous to walk on. I actually considered taking them to a cobbler to put a protective sole on the bottom so I could always keep the pattern in perfect condition. But I didn't want to spend the extra money and in the end I decided that shoes are meant to be scuffed on the bottom anyway. Plus, I'll always have these pictures to remember what the bottoms looked like.

So now on to the important parts - comfort and sizing! When I initially put them on, they were quite stiff (it probably didn't help that they were half a size smaller than my normal shoe size). I was pretty bummed about that, but then I tried on the size 7s I ordered in the Pink Floral to compare.

It turns out the 7s were a bit too big, length-wise. They felt better than the 6.5s width-wise, but I loved the Blue Florals so much that I decided to wear them around my house with thick socks for a few days to break them in.

As you can see in this photo, the Pink Florals are just a tad bit longer, and even though you can't really tell from my pictures, they are just a tad bit wider as well.

Here are some detailed shots of the Pink Florals.

So after wearing the 6.5s for a few days, they are now broken in to quite the comfortable fit. I'm so happy that I ended up with the smaller size because I feel like they look better on my feet without the extra length in the toe portion. I also noticed that these are listed as a UK4, which is my usual UK size. I have several size US7 shoes that are listed as a UK4 equivalent, so I'm not sure why these translate to a US6.5 instead in this brand. So if you order these from Orla Kiely's US site (or other American sites such as Nordstrom) and wonder why there are only half sizes available, just remember that a US6.5 is really a UK4/EU37.

Aside from having to break these in (and honestly, what shoes do you not have to break in?), I am completely in love with these shoes. They fit quite comfortably now, and I'm so excited to pair these with many different outfits in both the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons.

I am absolutely loving these Orla Kiely storage jars, which come in three different designs - Elephant, Owl, and Hen. Each jar has a 1L capacity and is handmade in Portugal. They are currently sold out on Orla Kiely's site, but you can purchase them from Amara for $40 each.

Orla Kiely's sale ends this Sunday, May 31, where you can save up to 50% on clothing, bags, and accessories from the Resort 2015 collection. This sale is available both online and in stores. Happy shopping and happy Friday, everyone!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Now that Amara offers shipping to the US, I find myself browsing their website more often. During one of these shopping trips, I came across these super cute Orla Kiely trays and serving platters that have been recently released in a variety of super cute designs.

Each tray is made of melamine coated birch, and the underside features the Scribble print in a coordinating color. These trays would add such a nice touch to any party, or can be used everyday in the kitchen.